For Every Action There Are Consequences
by Nikki14u
Summary: What happens when the one person you trust the most turns out to also be the very same person you should trust the least.
1. Lies My Mother Told Me

**A/N: Nathan and Lucas are 13 years old at the beginning of this story.**

**Summary: **The younger boy wanted more then anything to believe his mother's denial of the accusation but her behavior led him to believe otherwise.

What happens when the one person you trust the most turns out to also be the very same person you should trust the least?

Read **For Every Action There Are Consequences **to find out.

**Teaser: Lies My Mother Told Me**

He sat at the kitchen table with red swollen eyes and tear stained cheeks as he waiting for her to arrive. All he could think about in his moment of solitude were the awful lies his team mates were spreading about him and Nathan's dad. He knew their words couldn't be true but there was something in the back of his mind that couldn't let go of the idea. In his heart of hearts he was certain that the guys were just screwing with him simply because he and Nathan shared the same last name. Anyways he was positive that the second him mother stepped through the door and he informed her of the rumors and accusations floating around that she would put an end to all the lies and set every one of those big mouthed losers straight, especially Tim and his step Mom Sheri.

_**Flashback**_

_It was the end of yet another brutal practice that left the entire team feeling achy and a little sick. Coach Myers was riding the team pretty hard this year, determined to win the stare championship and continue the Ravens undefeated winning streak. Everyone was completely wiped out and couldn't wait to hit the showers and head for home._

_They were all just about done when the coach shouted "Yo Scott!"_

_Off his words both boys turned around to face him._

"_Your father's here so you better get a move on" the man stated before returning to his office._

_Since only one of the young men knew who his father was the other continued dressing before starting on his long walk home._

_Just as everyone was about to go their separate ways one of the boy's yelled out "How come Daddy didn't pick up little Lucas too?" _

_Laughter filled the air as the blond boy clenched his fist tightly and spun around to face his tormentors. _

"_Because he's not my father you moron" he shot back._

"_That's not what my mom says" added another boy he recognized as Tim Smith, Nathan's best friend._

"_Well your mother doesn't know what the hell she's talking about"_

"_Are you calling my mom a liar?" questioned Tim as he took a step in the boy's direction._

_Lucas dropped his bag to the ground, preparing himself for a fight as he replied "Like I said it's not true. So maybe you should tell your mother to shut the hell up and mind her own damn business"_

"_Or maybe I should just shut YOU up?" answered Tim before shoving Lucas backwards and knocking him off balance._

_Lucas quickly recovered and tackled the boy to the ground. But before either of them could do any real damage to on another coach Myers ran in and proceeded to separate them along with the help of two other boys._

"_Alright that's enough, both of you. Scott" he yelled turning to Lucas "Get out of here and take your ass home. And you" he continued while facing Tim "Go to my office. This is the third time you've started a fight in my gym this week and I've had just about enough of your crap"_

"_But coach…"_

"_But nothing, move, now" _

"_This isn't over Scott" the boy growled as he began to walk away._

"_You're damn right it's not but don't worry, when I get home and tell my mom about this she's going to put your big mouthed mother in her place" yelled Lucas before storming out of the locker room and running home._

_**End Of Flashback**_

The sound of keys jiggling as the lock clicked forced the boy to break from his thoughts and focus on the person entering the house.

"Hey hun" Karen spoke with a smile as she set the groceries down on the kitchen counter. "How was practice?"

When she didn't receive an answer the woman turned on her heels to face her son, irritated by the fact that he appeared to be ignoring her.

"Lucas Eugene Scott!" she began to scold him but stopped the instant she noticed that he had been crying. "Oh sweetie what's the matter?" she questioned now taking a seat at the table.

"I got into a fight today" he spoke in an icy tone. He could tell by the look on her face that she was surprised by his tone of voice. He knew it was sharp and a little surly but after the day he had just had, he really didn't care.

"A fight? Lucas you know that I do not approve of violence for any reason. You're a smart boy. You should know that fighting never solves anything"

"Aren't you even going to ask why? And trust me if you were there you would have been pissed off too"

She paused for a moment to try and calm herself down. She could see that her son was highly agitated and she didn't want to make the situation even worse by yelling and losing her temper.

"Alright then, fine. Tell me what they said that was so horribly that you felt the need to act barbaric"

"Does the name Dan Scott ring any bells?" he asked never once removing his eyes from her face.

"Of…of course" she spoke nervously as her face grew slightly pale. "He's Nathan's father, right?"

"Yeah well rumor has it that he's my father too"

The boy studied his mother's face carefully as her breathing became a little erratic. She also took quite a while to answer him which made him more then a little uneasy.

"Where on earth did you hear that?"

"Tim is going around telling everyone that his mother said that Mr. Scott was my Dad"

"Well" began Karen in a shaky voice "Sheri is just a hateful little bitch with a big mouth and way too much time on her hands. So don't you believe a word she says"

The younger boy wanted more then anything to believe his mother's denial of the accusation but her behavior led him to think otherwise. He found himself wanting to question her further for his own piece of mind and to put his doubts to rest once and for all.

"But why would she make up something like that unless…"

"Unless what Lucas?" she questioned with a tone full of warning. "Answer me!"

He hesitated for a few seconds as he watched tears well up in her eyes. At that point he knew the truth even if she didn't give voice to it.

"Unless it was true" he whispered.

Lucas said nothing more as the woman leaped from the table, knocking he chair to the floor before running out of the room. In the distance he could hear the bedroom door slamming shut followed by her muffled cries.

He was amazed by her reaction.

This woman had lied to him since the moment he was able to comprehend the meaning of the word father. Where the hell did she get off being angry and upset when he was the one who had just received the shock of his life? When he was the on who had been the topic of tawdry gossip and had been betrayed by the one person he trusted the most.

Although he knew the truth in his heart he still needed to hear the words spoken out loud and since his mother wouldn't give him the answer he so desperately needed his only other option was to confront Dan himself.

He angrily pushed himself away from the table and stood up before putting on a grey sweatshirt and baseball cap. He then rushed out the door without saying a single word to his mother and hopped on his bike, heading straight for the more well to do area where his father and brother lived. His heart was racing as he peddled faster and faster, panting heavily along the way. He knew that he was heading in the right direction when he passed a large, fancy house where Nathan and his friends were playing basketball.

_Perfect_ he thought. It was going to be hard enough for him having to face Dan so he really didn't need daddy's boy present and making things even worse.

As Lucas approached the driveway he saw a large black jeep being sprayed with water as soap dripped onto the ground and formed a large puddle. As he studied the scene more carefully he noticed Dan standing near the back of the vehicle with a hose in his hands, completely unaware of his presence.

He instantly slammed the biked to the ground and stormed over to the man that had abandoned him. Gathering all the strength in his small frame the boy took the man by the arm and roughly turned him around so that they were face to face.

"Is it true?" he questioned furiously.

Dan looked at his son and smirked "What the hell are you talking about kid?" he knew exactly what Lucas was referring to but he wasn't willing to give in so quickly.

"You know what I'm talking about, all the locker room gossip. Is it true?"

"Sorry son" Dan paused putting emphasis on the word son and giggled inwardly as he watched Lucas tense up. "But I don't listen to the ramblings of adolescent boys so why don't you just tell me what you've heard"

"Damn it stop playing games with me and just tell me whether or not you're my father" the boy replied getting dangerously close to the elder Scott.

"You know Luke you really should be talking to your mother about this" answered the father as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned up against the truck.

"I tried" the younger male shouted "But all she could do was cry before running away and locking herself up in her room. So now I'm here asking you. Come on, say it. Please. I need to know. I deserve to know" he pleaded with glazed over eyes. He hated himself for being so weak and averted his eyes from those of his fathers and stared at the ground below him, embarrassed by his emotional outburst.

"Yes. It's true. Are you happy now?"

Lucas's head shot up at his father's admittance.

"Why didn't you tell me? How could you look at me everyday throughout all the practices and games without ever acknowledging me? How could you walk pass me on the street every got damn day of the week and not even say hello? How could you let me go on thinking that I don't have a father when you were right here all along? What kind of father does that to his own child?" he asked in a hurt tone as he looked into the eyes of the man that had neglected him.

Dan stared back at his son and replied "I had no choice. I wanted to be there for you Lucas. I wanted to be a part of your life, to be the father you needed"

"Then why the hell didn't you?" he snapped

"Because your mother wouldn't allow me to"

Lucas looked at his father in a state of shock.

"This doesn't make any sense. Mom knew how badly I wanted to know my father…to know you. Why would she do that? Why would she let me believe that you didn't want me?"

"I don't know. That's a question we both want the answer to" the man spoke as a wicked plan came to mind and he saw the perfect opportunity to get what he wanted.

The boy suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Everything he had ever believed in his entire life was a lie. He always thought his father hated him and that he had walked out on him because he had disappointed the man somehow. He remembered how he would cry late at night in the arms of his mother asking her what he had done wrong to make his daddy go away, never once had the thought crossed his mind that she may have been the one who sent him away.

He found himself becoming more and more angry as he heard the voice of his mother say to him over and over again that had done nothing to deserve the pain he was feeling and that his father was a selfish, evil man who could never love anyone other then himself.

Lies. Every word out of her mouth was a lie.

"Lucas?" the boy heard his father call out to him as strong arms gripped his shoulders.

"I should go home now" he said looking up "Thanks for being honest with me"

He started to walk away when Dan reached out and stopped him.

"You seem really upset and rightfully so I guess but I don't think it's a good idea for you to go home alone. I think it would be better if I gave you a ride"

Lucas wasn't sure if he should accept the man's offer or not. Although he knew who Dan was he was still basically a stranger to him and his mother always told him never to go anywhere with a stranger but then again his father was only a stranger to him because she had made it that way.

He stood still as he watched his father load his bicycle into the back of the jeep before climbing into the front seat.

Dan wasted no time getting to Karen's house. He couldn't wait to have his revenge and knowing that he didn't have to lift a finger to get it was the best part of all. The woman was going to be the cause of her own misery and all because she thought that he would be a danger to his child and cause the boy psychical pain as well as emotional but in the end she was the one who had hurt him by keeping him from the one thing he wanted the most…his father.

When they arrived he could tell by the way Lucas jumped out of the car that he was angry as hell and was looking to confront his mother on her acts of deceit.

_Oh what a tangled web we weave_ the man thought as he ran to catch up with his son. When he did there wasn't time for him to utter a single word as Lucas pushed open the door violently, scaring his mother who had obviously been waiting for him.

"Lucas…" she trailed off once she noticed his father standing directly behind him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Dan couldn't help but smile at her reaction. It was priceless.

"Well…" he began.

"What Mom, are you surprised to see me here with my father?"

"Lucas I don't know what he's told you but he is an evil man and will say anything to hurt…"

"Stop lying to me Mom! For once in your life stop lying to me and just tell me the truth that is if you're even capable"

"Honey you don't understand I did it for your own good"

"For my own good?" he shouted "How is not having my father in my life good for me Mom?"

"He's not a good person Luke. You don't know him like I do"

"And whose fault is that? You never gave him a chance to prove that he could be a good father nor did you give me the opportunity to get to know him. Now was it because you really believed that he would be a bad father or were you just bitter because he left you for someone else?"

The force from the woman's hand being brought across his cheek set him off balance, forcing him to grab onto Dan for support.

This was going even better then Dan could have possibly imagined.

"That's enough Karen" yelled Dan as he placed himself between mother and son.

"Oh my God Lucas I'm so sorry" said Karen as she reached out to console the boy. Unfortunately Dan was standing directly in her path, refusing to move.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Mind your own business Dan. This is between me and my son"

"Don't you mean our son and something tells me that he really isn't in the mood to speak to you right now"

"Well that's not your call Dan"

"No it's not but he's right" Lucas finally spoke with eyes full of hate "I don't want to talk to you. In fact I don't even want to look at you"

"Well I'm your mother and you don't really have a say in the matter. Now go to your room while I talk to Mr. Scott"

"I'm not going anywhere and he's not Mr. Scott, he's my father" the blond haired boy paused for a short while as if he had just had an epiphany "On second thought I will go to my room and I'll pack my things while I'm there. I don't want to spend another second in this house with you" said Lucas before storming out of the room.

"I blame you for this" Karen spoke to Dan.

"For what?"

"For everything. For walking out on me, for not keeping your mouth shut when Lucas asked if you were his father, for Lucas's behavior"

"First of all I didn't keep my mouth shut about me being the kid's father because whether you like it or not he's mine. Secondly Lucas's behavior is your fault and yours alone. I'm not the one who wanted to lie to him all these years and as far as me walking away goes" he said as he stood toe to toe with the woman "we both know why so don't you dare stand here and try to act all innocent when you were the one who betrayed me"

Karen instantly fell silent and shifted her gaze away from her former lover, unable to find the right words to respond with. It was then that Lucas returned to the dinning area with a backpack and two duffle bags.

"Where on earth do you think you're going?"

"I don't know and truth be told I don't care. As long as I'm far away from you I'll be just fine"

"There's always room for you at my house son" added Dan much to Karen's dismay.

"You're insane if you thing that I'm going to let you take my son anywhere"

"He's not taking me anywhere Mom. I'm walking out all on my own" said Lucas as he moved to stand at his father's side.

The identical gaze was enough to make Karen want to vomit.

"Fine then" she replied in a fit of rage "Go with the father you love so much and get the hell out of my house and don't you ever, ever come back"

Lucas gave his mother one last look before turning on his heels and walking out the door never once looking back.

This action hurt Karen more then any words, hits, or bruises ever could. She watched through blurred vision as the boy's father followed close behind with that evil smug grin on his face knowing that he had won.

She now stood there alone in a house that was once filled with laughter and love, feeling empty as tears slid down her cheeks. Her mother always said that all actions have consequences but she never understood the full meaning of that saying, until now.


	2. Shell Shocked

**Chapter One: Shell Shocked**

Dan pulled into the slated driveway with a quiet Lucas seated next to him. The boy hadn't spoken a word since leaving his mother's home with bags in hand and head bowed low but this was to be expected. Life as he knew it was suddenly over leaving in its wake a scared, confused and angry young man. Things were going to be different from here on out and he knew it. He had made his decision and now it was time to deal with the consequences whether it be good or bad.

As the jeep came to a complete stop Lucas lifted his head for the first time since leaving his mother's house to get a better view of his new home. A home that he would be sharing with his new found father, step mother and brother.

It was ten times the size of his old house and was in perfect condition like something out of home and garden magazine. There wasn't a cracked stone or dirty window to be seen on the Scott family mansion. Even the lawn was perfectly manicured and decorated in the most elegant of styles. In the center of magnificent landscape was a stone fountain that reminded him of the statue of David. The piece alone probably cost more then him and his mom would make in their lifetime.

He was mesmerized.

"Hey these bags aren't going to move on their own son" said Dan as he opened the care door.

Lucas smiled slightly as not to be rude. Suddenly having a father that was practically a stranger, but not REALLY a stranger to him calling him son was weird.

The young man stepped out of the truck as the elder Scott gathered his belongings from the back seat and continued to take in his surroundings. Once everything was unloaded the pair continued on into the house which was even more extravagant then its outer shell.

The first room they entered was the living room which was decked out in all white and had gold fixtures in various areas. In the middle of the room was a fireplace that was decorated in granite with black trim. Placed above it were pictures of Dan, Nathan, his uncle Keith and a blond woman he recognized as Deb, his father's wife.

At this he felt a twinge of jealousy come over him. He felt as though it should have been his Mom in the picture happy and smiling with his father's arms around her.

But she wasn't. Dan had chose Deb and there was nothing that could be done about it now. No matter how much it hurt.

As they continued on they passed a massive kitchen with marbled counter tops and top of the line equipment.

_His Mom would have loved that kitchen_.

Lucas shook his head and did his best to clear the woman from his thoughts. After all she was the reason that he was being introduced into his father's life so late. She was the one who had kept him away and he should stay angry with her for doing so. She didn't deserve to occupy his thoughts right now. He had to focus on his new life. He was better off without her. He believed this, he had to.

Next in his line of vision was a grand marble staircase with a crystal chandelier sparkling directly above its center. On either side there were smaller steps leading to the east and west wings of the house. To the right of the massive staircase was the family room. Inside was an extremely large flat screen television, soft black leather chairs, a sectional and a separate love seat. Just behind it was a pool table and mini bar. On the other side, with plenty of room to spare was a basketball net and miniature basketball.

Across the hall there was an open door displaying a large office with cherry wood furniture and a boardroom style table in the middle. The room also had a fire place like the others before it along with another bar, movie screen and projector.

"So what do you think?" questioned Dan. He had the kind of house poor kids like Lucas dreamed of and he knew it.

"This place is amazing" Lucas spoke softly almost as if he didn't believe that he was going to be living there.

Hell Dan almost didn't believe it himself. He had won and it felt good.

"Well you've only seen a small part of it but I want you to get settled in before I give you the full tour" Dan said as he began climbing the steps.

The boy followed closely behind as the man turned and started on the stairs to the west wing. Lucas couldn't help but notice Nathan's name on his room door as they passed. Although the door was closed he knew that it was a rather large one and was probably three times the size of his old one.

Not paying attention he almost ran dead smack into Dan.

"Easy there son" he said noticing how close the boy was to running into him. Reaching out in front of him he opened the door to reveal what was inside. "Well here it is" Dan smiled as he stepped to the side to allow Lucas to enter.

The room was spectacular.

It was decorated in black, grey and white and had a king size bed and the same dark cherry wood furniture that he had seen downstairs. There was a new lab top sitting on a desk that had what looked like a full on library on either side.

There was also a walk in closet that he doubted he would be able to fill up along with a basketball net and ball. There were also presents on the bed with birthday wrapping and Christmas wrapping with bows on top.

Dropping his bags to the floor Lucas walked over to the bed that rested near sliding glass doors that led out to a small deck. The space ver looked the pool and from his new vantage point he could also see a tennis court and of course a basketball court.

"I made this room up for you a long time ago" Dan spoke breaking into Lucas's thoughts.

At his father's words the young boy turned around to face the man.

"I changed it as the years went on, hoping that your mother would change her mind. I even brought you Birthday and Christmas presents"

"Why didn't you bring them to me?" the boy question in a saddened tone.

"Your Mom wouldn't let me anywhere near you Lucas. I wanted to give them to you and visit with you but every time I tried Karen sent me away. But none of that matters any more. You're home now. Where you should have been all along"

Lucas didn't know what to say so instead he turned his attention back to the world outside.

Dan sighed.

"Listen I'm going to get dinner ready so unpack, and get washed up. Everything should ready in about an hour and a half. Deb and Nathan should be home around the same time"

"Ok" replied Lucas as he heard his bedroom door shut and he began to unpack.

_Wow what a difference a day makes._

"This has been one hell of a day" said Deb as she entered the kitchen "My currier was late, my assistant quit and I had to skip lunch to go over a document with Mr. Smith for the sixth hundredth time so needless to say I am annoyed, frustrated and hungry"

"Nice to see you're in such a great mood Mom" replied Nathan as he entered in behind the woman.

"Yeah and I'm doing just great thanks for asking everyone"

"Hey Dad"

"Oh I'm sorry honey" Deb said giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Oh that smells amazing. Is it done?"

"Yes have a seat"

"Great I haven't eaten since four o'clock"

"Nathan it's only six thirty" Dan said with a smirk.

"Hey I'm a going boy. I need to eat other wise I'll get all puny and pass out on the basketball court"

Dan and Deb laughed.

"Oh then we need to feed you right away before you die on us"

"My point exactly. Now less talking more grubbing" Nathan said digging into the food the second Dan put it on the table.

"Easy there boy we have to wait for our house guess to arrive"

"Aww man"

"I was wondering why there was a fourth setting. Is Keith here?" questioned Deb as she took a seat at the table.

"No, Keith isn't back from Charleston yet"

"Well then who is it then?" asked Deb impatiently just as they heard foot steps slowly descending upon the stairs.

"Looks like we're about to find out" Nathan said as he leaned back in his chair but the second the person came into view he instantly shot back up.

Deb just stared at the newcomer with a mixture of shock and anger as Dan walked over to the boy, taking him by the shoulders and guided him further into the room.

"Deb, Nathan. Lucas has moved in with us"

Both mother and son looked at each other before looking back to the father and son standing before them.

And this is where things were going to get interesting…


	3. The Art Of Battle

**Chapter Two: **The Art Of Battle

"Dad you have got to be kidding me" said Nathan as he stood up and folded his arms across his chest, sending death glares towards the older Scott sibling that he was being forced to acknowledge "This is some sort of joke right? There is no way that you are letting that river court rat move in with us!"

"Watch it boy!" scolded Dan "There's something that I should have told you a long time ago. Lucas is your…"

"No, don't you dare say it!" shouted the dark haired boy as his mother moved to his side in an effort to comfort him and to keep him from growing violent.

"That thing is not my brother and you can't force me to like him let alone live with him"

Before the boy could continue any further a woman's voice interrupted.

"Nathan go to your room for a moment while your father and I talk"

As Nathan stalked off he made it a point to hiss some snide remark Lucas's way before running up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door.

"Lucas" Dan said turning to the shaken boy who was seconds away from bolting for the front door "Go back up to your room while I talk to Deb"

What he should have said was shout at Deb because that's exactly what happened the second Lucas entered the room. Hell for all of their trouble they should have had it out, right there in front of him and Nathan because you could hear them plain as day from the landing below.

"What the hell were you thinking Dan? Inviting Lucas to live her without consulting me!"

"I was thinking that I was tired of being shut out of my kid's life and pretending that he didn't exist for yours, Karen's and Nathan's sakes"

"Oh please Dan I never once asked you to turn you back on Lucas. You did that all on your own and as far as Karen's concerned we both know that this is all just some asinine excuse for you to be with her again"

"Here we go again with the Karen thing"

"Yes here we go again with the Karen thing because we both know the truth Dan. We both know that you're still in love with her and that it was her you wanted to be with this whole time! I mean, did you ever love me and Nathan or were we just poor substitutes for Karen and Lucas"

"Give me a break Deb! What has all of your botox treatments finally corroded your brain? If I didn't love you I would NOT have married you end of story!"

"Oh you loved me alright" laughed Deb "You loved my money Dan, plain and simple"

"Check your facts sweetie. If it weren't for my business smarts YOU wouldn't have any money. You would have invested badly and bankrupted yourself a long time ago if it hadn't been for me. Besides this isn't about money or Karen for that matter it's about Lucas and with the way you're acting he probably doesn't want to stay here any more"

"Well maybe that's for the best"

"WHAT?!"

"Dan I'm not saying that he can't come over on the weekends or that you can't visit with the boy I'm just saying that something like this can't be pushed on me, Nathan or Lucas for that matter"

"Well tell that to the mother who practically threw her own son out of the house for wanting to know his father!"

There was instant silence as Lucas sat leaning up against his bedroom door, remembering the events of the day that had led up to his residence at Scott manor.

In the next instant Deb's voice could be heard as he sprang to his feet and peered out into the hallway where Nathan was already doing the same.

"She did what?" the question was still slightly loud but had a soft twinge to it.

"She kicked Lucas out of the house when he asked her about him being my son. Apparently the boys on the team have been teasing him about me being his father and when he questioned Karen she denied it at first, so he sot me out and asked me. I told him the truth about how she kept him away from me all these years and of course he was angry, hurt and upset so I took him home. When we confronted Karen she went ballistic and kicked him out. Now Deb, are you as evil and cruel as you say I am? Do you want to see your step son sleeping on the street?"

"I'm sure she didn't mean it Dan. Maybe she was just caught off guard and hurt by the fact that Lucas…"

"Wanted to know me? The kid had every right to know his father! Who the hell was she to keep my boy from me! Hell if it weren't for the threats of her redneck father and his group of thugs we wouldn't be having this conversation. Lucas would have grown up here, with us and Nathan wouldn't be so God damned horrified about having to share a house with his own brother!"

"I understand your frustration Dan but Nathan and Lucas need time to adjust to the whole idea of being brothers and we need time to adjust as well with you having to deal with two sons, one of which you barely know and I have to get to know Lucas while trying to help Nathan get used to the presence of his enemy in his own home. Now I know that you want to be a part of Lucas's life and you feel that you've been cheated out of time with him but…"

"There is no but Deb. Lucas is staying in this house and that's the end of it!"

"Dan please listen…"

"No! I will not have anyone tell me how to run my house. Trust me I know this is going to be hard but we will make it work" he said before turning to the stair case "Lucas, Nathan, get down here now!"

Both boys wasted not time running down the stairs, meeting their father at the bottom, avoiding eye contact the whole time.

"Have a seat both of you"

The boys shared a look of mutual hatred before doing as they were told while Dan towered over them and Deb sat next to Nathan.

"This is how things are going to be. The two of you are going to get along even if it kills you and if you don't I just might. There will be no fighting each other or any fighting amongst your groups of friends. Nathan you will not antagonize your brother and Lucas the same goes for you. No rude comments or death threats of any kind. Now do I expect some brotherly quarrels? Yes. Are they to turn into barroom brawls? NO! And if they do the two of you won't live to regret it am I understood?"

Nathan was seething in anger but knew better then to talk back to his father. So instead he bit his tongue and nodded silently in agreement as did Lucas.

"Good. Now I know this living situation is going to take some getting used to but I'm sure if we stick to these key rules we will be okay. Now Lucas I don't know what kind of workout schedule you're used to as far as your basketball training goes but around here we are up at four a.m. for our morning run and practice drills followed by weight training. Now I will cut you some slack for your first two sessions but after that you have to work your ass off and there will be no excuses. If you are going to live under this roof as my son I want you to be the best in your father's name. I demand perfection. Isn't that right Nathan?"

The boy nodded in realization smiling, knowing that Lucas had wormed his way into a world that was going to devour him whole. With any luck his father was going to grow tried of the river rat and toss his ass right back to the sewer where he found him. But then again maybe sharing his Dad with Lucas wouldn't be too bad. Maybe having someone to share the pressures and expectations with would be a good thing. He didn't know for sure but he would sit, watch and wait to see how Lucas measured up. If he was good enough to be his brother or not.

"Okay now that we have that out of the way, let's go eat"

With that Dan and Deb headed towards the kitchen followed by Nathan and Lucas.

With his parents a safe distance in front of him Nathan turned to Lucas, stopping the boy mid stride and sending him a menacing smirk.

"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into _big brother_" he spat out the last words as if they were poison "My Dad only wants the best. I guess that's why he left you and your Mom in the first place" he continued with a giggle "Anyways good luck. You're going to need it"

The dark haired boy was all set to walk away when Lucas stopped him.

"Thanks for the advice _little brother _and if I were you, I'd watch my step. Now that we live in the same house there's no telling what I could do. Or maybe that's just the evil, vicious river rat in me talking" then with a small shove the blond pushed him aside and smiled back over his shoulder as he entered the kitchen.

Nathan gritted his teeth in anger. This meant war and Lucas was about to get his first lesson in the art of battle.


End file.
